Trebek is battling with pancreatic cancer stage IV since March 2019 but has been working despite the painful treatment procedure.
Alex Trebek is hosting the classic game show Jeopardy! since 1984. It will not be wrong to say that he has dedicated his life to this one show and has entertained fans for decades now. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March 2019 and the news left his admirers saddened.
Through the months of his battle with cancer, he underwent various treatments which kept taking a toll on his health. As the NY Times reports, pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest types of cancers and Trebek is fighting it with rounds of chemotherapy which could be unpleasant.
With so much going on in his life, he had earlier announced that he will end his stint on the show with a 30-second goodbye in the final episode. But recently, he gave another statement reassuring his global fan base that he does not plan to retire anytime soon despite his cancer battle because he loves the show so much.
As per CBS, Trebek addressed the topic saying, "I don't foresee that 30-second moment coming up in the near future." He added, "When you've been in the same job for that long period of time and you're in advanced years, it behooves you at some point to think about retiring. Now, thinking about retiring and retiring are two different things."
He went on to say that he enjoys being in the show and will not consider retreating as long as his health permits. "As long as I feel my skills have not diminished too much, and as long as I'm enjoying spending time with bright people like these three [contestants] ... then I'll continue doing it," he added.
He also discussed his health candidly and dished out details.
"Some days are better than others," he said, his voice slightly hoarse. "My resistance is lower than most of you, of course, because of the treatments I've been having, the chemotherapy and, as you can tell, the cold that seems to be going around. But this is the second time I've had it in the past month."
The one thing that would leave his fans in awe of him and make them respect him even more is his dedication and concern about his performance on the show. After decades of serving as the host of Jeopardy! and establishing him as one of the best hosts, he still ponders over his performance.
"I seemed a little slower in the ad-lib portions. I could still deliver the clues at a rapid pace ... but I feel that I was not having one of my best weeks. Some weeks are good, some weeks are bad, but it comes with the territory," he said.
Earlier, his longtime companion and wife, Jean Currivan had revealed to People how serious he is about his job. "He's got a great sense of humor," she said. "He takes his job very seriously, but won't take himself too seriously." He's also youthful. "He's just an intelligent human being," Jean says. "Part of Alex's staying youthful is his staying curious."
Trebek, 79, has never shied away from acknowledging that Jean has been very patient and understanding throughout his cancer battle and he is grateful for that. Speaking about their relationship Jean had said, “We have our challenges and then we have our really beautiful times, where we’re just so blessed to know that we’re in each other’s courtyard.”
We wish the iconic entertainer a speedy recovery and a healthy life ahead!
References:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/17/arts/alex-trebek-cancer.html
